What went wrong for the Phillies?

Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates a two run home run… (Alex Trautwig, Getty Images )

October 03, 2012|Mandy Housenick

The Phillies went into the 2012 season expecting a sixth consecutive National League East division title. Their massive payroll, their past successes and their personnel made it hard to argue with their goals.

By the end of May, they had already sunk into fourth place, cleared payroll at the trade deadline and needed miraculous months of August and September just to be in contention for the newly added second wild card.

They managed to get within three games of the second wild card spot in mid-September but then fell apart in Houston, where they lost three of four games to baseball's worst team.

Really, injuries tore apart their season. See how key players being hurt affected the team, and what else caused the Phillies to take a step back.

HOWARD/UTLEY INJURIES

No one could have predicted that Ryan Howard and Chase Utley would miss as much time as they did, and the impact it would have on the team, particularly the offense. Prior to July 6 (Howard returned July 6 and Utley came back June 27), the Phillies were 37-47. But from July 6 on, they were 44-33. Had those two been healthy all season and had the Phils kept up that pace, they would have finished 93-69, which would have easily given the Phillies the second wild card this year.

"That's great for them," Jimmy Rollins told writers in Washington, D.C., of the Nationals going to the postseason. "But with us being healthy, you know, they're still second place. But we weren't [healthy]."

BULLPEN ISSUES

They all start with injuries. This bullpen was decimated almost from the start. They lost three cogs by June 1: Mike Stutes (shoulder surgery) pitched in only six games, the last one coming April 21; David Herndon (Tommy John surgery) appeared in just five games, the last of which was April 29; and Jose Contreras (torn UCL) threw in 17 games, and had an ERA of 2.00 and an BAA of .182 in the last 11.

The injuries, combined with the inconsistency from Antonio Bastardo and the awful stats that led to Chad Qualls' release, left the team without a setup man. That came back to bite them far too many times, as did having to rely on guys who really weren't ready to contribute in a big way this year. All those factors led to a bullpen that posted a 4.76 ERA before the All-Star break, which according to the Elias Sports Bureau, was 15th in the National League.

JUNE SWOON

It was ugly. After their 6-4 victory over Miami on June 1, the Phillies improved to 28-25. Then things took a turn.

For the rest of the month, they were 8-19, giving them a 36-44 record heading into July. They endured two, six-game losing streaks in June, had to make changes to the rotation and the bullpen while Roy Halladay sat out the month with a right lat strain. And they were still trying to find a way to get Cliff Lee a win (he was 0-5 by the end of June).

Lee never got the support he deserved. He was the only pitcher in baseball this season to finish with 200-plus strikeouts and fewer than 13 wins (he had six), and according to ESPN.com, had the fewest wins ever for a pitcher who struck out more than 200 in a single season.

DEFENSE FALTERS

If Charlie Manuel said it once, he said it a million times: The defense, more accurately, the lack thereof, played a role in the 81-81 record this year. Their .983 fielding percentage (seventh in the NL) is not something Manuel is used to seeing. They led all of MLB with a .988 fielding percentage last year, ranked fourth in 2010 in the NL (.986) and in 2009, they were second in the league (.987).

Most of the problems came in the outfield and at third base. Phillies outfielders made 31 errors this season and third basemen committed 21 (seven by Kevin Frandsen and eight by Ty Wigginton).

HALLADAY ON THE HOOK

Roy Halladay never displayed his past dominance. His 4.49 ERA was his highest in the last 12 seasons and it was the first time since 2000 that he didn't notch a complete game. He claimed he was healthy in September, except for one start in which he was affected by shoulder spasms, yet he posted a 6.84 ERA in five starts last month.

Yes, he missed nearly seven weeks with the right lat strain. But you can't help but wonder if all the innings he's pitched (2,6871/3 ) are catching up to him.

Despite his struggles this year, his impact with this team is still huge. With Halladay on the 25-man roster, the Phillies were 66-54. While he was on the disabled list, they were 15-27.